Ebonyi sets up committees to check Ebola outbreak

THE governmentof Ebonyi State has set up two committees in order to check Ebola outbreak in the state.

The two committees are the ‘Rapid Response Team’ and the ‘Treatment Team,’ with 19 and 15 members respectively.

The state also announced that henceforth movement of corpses from other parts of the country into its environs and inter- state trading would no longer be allowed.

The two committees are chaired by the state commissioner of health, Dr. Sunday Nwangele.

Governor Martin Elechi has also urged the members of the committees to be committed in the various duties assigned to them.

He said that the issue of epidemics such as yellow fever, cholera, Hiv/Aids had reared their ugly heads in the past but due to the determination of people, they were properly contained.”So Ebola virus will not be different from others,” he added.

He appreciated the members of the committee for accepting to work at a time like this which he noted showed their love and patriotism for the state and the country in general.

“Just as the people in the past did not give up; they fought tirelessly to eradicate yellow fever in the sixties, later cholera and recently HIV/AIDS. So shall we fight to stop Ebola,” he said.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Nwagele, explained that the Rapid Response Committee would ensure that residents of the state were adequately sensitised about the Ebola virus and to properly educate the people on the need to adopt preventive measures such as environmental sanitation and regular hand washing.

He explained further that the treatment team would be in charge of diagnosis and treatment should there be any case of Ebola virus in the state.

Elechi, the state executive council members and the members of the committees all used the hand sanitiser brought to the meeting venue before having hand shake with their colleagues.